EMI parts company with Jean-Francois Cecillon

Cecillon was the last of the old guard

By Juliette Garside

2:30PM BST 04 Jul 2008

EMI is parting company with Jean-Francois Cecillon, its European president and international head of A&R.

His departure, which is likely to be formally announced today, marks a final sweep of the broom in city financier Guy Hands’ clear out of the old guard who were recruited by former chief executive Eric Nicoli.

It is understood that the majority of Mr Cecillon’s duties will be taken up by Billy Mann, a record producer and music entrepreneur who was recruited to EMI’s investor board last November.

Mr Cecillon is an EMI veteran who ran its record labels in the UK during the 1990s and was responsible for signing Robbie Williams.

He left the company and joined computer games company Sega before returning in 2004, to become chairman and chief executive of the recorded music division in continental Europe.

Mr Hands’ Terra Firma private equity vehicle acquired the only major record company to be based in the UK for £3.2bn last summer.

The financier, who is under pressure to prove his £3.2bn purchase of EMI last year was not an error, told investors that EMI Music made nearly £40m in operating profits in April and May versus a loss of £17m in same months last year.